Category: Christian Faith & Life
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Jesus has Secured the Universe
In Romans 13:11, Paul reminds you, “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” But how do we open our eyes from our sleep? What will secure us from our own nightmares of ignorance and sin? How do we…
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God’s Word is Always the Solution:
A Letter From the EditorDear fellow servant of the Word, Has the ministry of our called workers changed over the past few decades? Perhaps it has in some ways. We certainly live in a broken world. That’s not new. It has been broken from the time Adam and Eve coveted the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good…
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Letter from the Editor: Learning About Luther’s Family Life
Dear soul-tenders and conscience-menders, I recently read an article titled “Four Lies That Cause Pastors to Neglect Their Families.” The same week I found another article advising pastors, “Prioritize family over ministry. You’ll find it to be the Best. Decision. Ever.”
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A Letter from the NPH Professional Books Editor on Doctor of Souls
Dear shepherds of God’s people, How many of you remember what we were taught on the first day in Dogmatics class as Middlers at the seminary? We learned that theology is a “habitus practicus,” that all (scriptural) theology is practical—it is for people (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15,16). Perhaps at the time we did not…
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A Letter Regarding the New Catechism
Dear Brothers in Christ’s Ministry, Luther wrote his Small Catechism to help pastors teach God’s Word, especially to children. He could not have imagined the sheer numbers of students who would be armed with the Word of Truth through his little book. No other book of Christian instruction has endured for almost 500 years. Not…
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The Secret to Being Overwhelmingly Grateful
I am wary of any book or chapter of a book that begins with the words “The Secret to. . . . ” Our world today is always looking for a quick fix, a silver bullet, an easy solution to all its problems. We would love to know the secret to six-pack abs or financial security. This chapter is…
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Overwhelming Gratitude
The British author Charles Dickens once commented that we are somewhat backward here in America. Instead of having just one Thanksgiving Day each year, we should have 364. “Use that one day just for complaining and griping,” he said. “Use the other 364 days to thank God each day for the many blessings he has showered upon you.”